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Kawaguchi: Hunger is the key

Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi, who at 31 is the team's oldest player,
has been a fixture in the national team since Ivica Osim took up
the coaching reins after Germany 2006. The captain, a veteran of
the two previous Asian Cups (Lebanon 2000 and China 2004), made his
100th senior appearances for Japan on 5 June in a friendly against
Colombia.

"At Lebanon 2000 and China 2004, my priority was to
establish myself, as I wasn't a regular first-team player at
the time," says the keeper. "In 2004 I was also thinking
of returning to Japan because I'd had very few chances to play
at [my former club sides] Portsmouth FC and FC Nordsjælland,"
he adds.

This time round, things are different. Kawaguchi has established
himself in the national team and built a reputation for
dependability. He has also become a very influential member of the
squad, shouting encouragement to his team-mates at key moments and
helping them maintain their concentration and composure.
"While I don't consider myself the voice of experience in
the team, the older I get, the more attention I pay to the rest of
group. If we're having some difficulties during a training
session, I always try to point out the problem and give any help I
can to the younger members. Having said that, I still think I'm
as hungry and competitive as ever," he said.

As defending champions, Japan came into the 2007 Asian Cup as
favourites to make it three continental titles in a row. However,
in their opening fixture against Qatar, a game they dominated
throughout, the Blues could only manage a draw after conceding a
late penalty, prompting a furious Osim to reportedly accuse them of
playing "like amateurs".

Japan bounced back in their next game, seeing off the UAE 3-1,
before confidently beating hosts Vietnam 4-1 in front of 40,000
partisan supporters to secure their progress. Kawaguchi says his
side's gradual improvement during the tournament has enhanced
team spirit, but also credits his coach, who he says is "very
good at motivating us". "It was tough getting used to the
weather here at first, but I think our combination play has
improved game by game, and our performance as a team are getting
better and better," he adds.

"One of our strong points is that we move the ball round
very quickly. But we still make careless mistakes, which is
something we need to work on. And though we're getting used to
the high temperatures and humidity here, it's still difficult
to play in these conditions. We need to remember to play
efficiently so as to conserve our energy," the keeper
says.

Kawaguchi has happy memories of his appearances at previous
Asian Cups, shutting out Saudi Arabia in the final of Lebanon 2000
with a series of spectacular saves, in the process earning himself
the Man-of-the-Match award. At China 2004 he also made the
headlines, his penalty shoot-out heroics helping his side to a
quarter-final win over Jordan. While his record at the tournament
has helped raise expectations in Japan ahead of the big match,
Kawaguchi himself is not getting carried away.

"We have to be patient, show our hunger for victory in
every game and take none of our opponents for granted," the
Jubilo Iwata player insists.